DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Leading by two goals entering the fourth quarter, the Norwich University men's lacrosse team yielded four goals in the final 15 minutes to drop a 9-8 heartbreaker to the host Corsairs from UMass Dartmouth on Sunday. 

The Cadets, who were originally scheduled to play the Corsairs at home, fall to 0-1 on the season while UMass Dartmouth improves to 1-1 on the year. 

Sophomore Aidan Moulton (Danvers, Mass.) scored for Norwich with 11:04 left in regulation time, elevating the squad to an 8-6 advantage. With possession only minutes later, the Cadets committed a targeting penalty and yielded a man-up goal to UMass Dartmouth's Mike Rizzo with 9:02 to go. 

The Cadets won the ensuing face-off and fired the game's next two shots, but Corsairs netminder Matt LaFond stood tall. Down by one goal, the hosts' Anthony Gallo scored the game-winning goal with 6:27 left in the fourth quarter, creating a 9-8 lead. The Cadets had five shots down the stretch, including one that hit the crossbar, but the Corsairs were able to hold on for the victory. 

Norwich scored the game's first three goals as junior Josh Jenkins (Centennial, Colo.), senior Nick Imbriani (Foxboro, Mass.) and junior Ian Kennedy (Gloucester, Mass.) cashed in to create an early lead. Two quick strikes by UMass Dartmouth were answered by Kennedy, who scored back-to-back unassisted goals to maintain a three-goal advantage, 5-2. 

Senior Joe Wood (White River Junction, Vt.) broke the streak of Corsairs scoring with his first goal of the season, putting Norwich ahead by a 6-4 score only 2:08 into the second half. UMass Dartmouth scored only minutes later, but Jenkins would put the Cadets ahead, once again, by two goals in the final seven minutes of the third quarter. 

Gallo opened the fourth quarter with an unassisted strike for the Corsairs, notching what would be his first of three goals in the final 15 minutes. Moulton's aforementioned goal followed for Norwich, creating the visitors' final two-goal lead of the afternoon. 

Norwich goalkeeper Ian Kriger (Burlington, Mass.) made 12 saves, yielding nine goals in the loss. LaFond finished with 19 stops on 27 shots, helping the Corsairs to the victory in its second-straight one goal contest. 

The Cadets held statistical edges in shots taken (40-to-37), ground balls (41-to-33), face-off victories (14-to-7) and successful clearances (22-to-20), but UMass Dartmouth eked out the victory with two extra-man goals in the fourth quarter. 

Kennedy led the Cadets with four points, tallying three goals and an assist. Senior defenseman Nick Engel (Concord, N.H.) racked up a team-best five caused turnovers while junior Jack Dwyer (Shelburne, Vt.) won 13 face-offs for Norwich. 

Norwich will look to snap an 18-game losing streak to the host Pilgrims from New England College on Wednesday, Mar. 8. The non-conference tilt will begin at 4 p.m.